Fishing tool



Aug. 27, 1929.

W. W FRY FISHING TOOL Filed Aug. 5 1926 Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED STTES PATENT" OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. FRY, 013 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGITOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ROB- INSON PACKER COMPANY, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA, A CORPORATION OF OKLAHOMA.

FISHING TOOL.

Application filed August 5, 1926. Serial No. 127,373.

. This invention relates to improvements in tools to be used for inserting or extracting Well casing and for fishing for strings of casing in oil wells.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character which will freely pass down a well casing or tubing and automatically engage itself to a notched packer head, to permit the packer head and the casing to which it is attached to be raised when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a tool with means for contracting a portion of the same after thetool has been used to lower a packer head and casing, or casing alone, into the well. 1

A further object is to furnish a tool of this type which may be inserted in the cats ing at the top of the well and carry a suspended string of casing of smaller diameter. Said tool, when the smaller casing is set within the larger casing, being adapted to automatically detach itself from the casing and to be lowered to the bottom of the well or until it strikes the top of a smaller string of casing and tripped, such tripping locking the grippers of the tool in contracted position, so that the tool may be readily Withdrawn from the well.

A tool capable of achieving the objects above set forth is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and is more particularly described in the following detail description. The novel features of this construction are set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig.1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of an oil well and casing packer head arranged therein, with the improved tool in the well. I

' Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. y

Fig. 3 is aside view'of a modified form of slip or gripper to be used when the tool is employed for fishing out casing from the well.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the casing of an oil well, and 2 designates the upper portion of a packer head which is arranged in the casing and connected to the well casing 3. The packer head in this instance has an annular groove 4 provided with an upper horizontal surface 5, and a downwardly and inwardly extending curved surface 6. An

inverted annular groove 7 merges into the horizontal surface 5.

The tool forming the subject matter of this invention consists of a stem having a head 8 provided with the usual threaded shank 9 to be attached to the cable. The stem is provided below the head with a contracted portion or neck 10 which, at its lower end is integral with a frusto-conical surface 11. Below the surface 11, the stem has a horizontally disposed spring pressed bolt 12, and at its lower end, the stem is threaded at 13 and attached to a threaded collar 14.

Surrounding the neck 10 is a loosely mounted collar 15, carrying pivotally connected links 16 which carry and are pivotally connected to. grippers or slips 17. Each of these members 17 has a horizontal surface 18 similar to the surface 5 and a downwardly andinwardly curved surface 19 similar to the surface 6. Each slip also has an upwardly extending knob 20 adapted to fit in the groove 7 for limiting the outward movement of the slip when the slip is interlocked with the groove 4.

Each slip also has a downwardly and outwardly extending inclined surface 21 which coacts with the conical surface 11 of the stem.

A sleeve 22 surrounds the stem and is provided at its upper edge with a downwardly and inwardly extending beveled surface 23 designed to move the slips 17 inwardly and toward the center of the stem when the sleeve 22 is held against downward movement while the stem is being lowered. Due to this, the sleeve acts as a cup or pocket to receive the slips and hold them in contracted position In order to lock the slips in such position, the sleeve 22 is provided at its lower end with an inwardly extending annular flange 24, having a beveled face 25, and an annular groove 26. As the stem lowers relatively to the sleeve 22, the pin 12 meets the beveled face 25 and the latter forces the pin in wardly a suflicient distance so that it may be projected outwardly by its spring and enter the groove. 26 when the stem has been lowered sufficiently. When'this takes place, the tool may be readily withdrawn from the well without interference. by the slips.

In order to 'haltthe downward movement of the sleeve 22 while the stem continues to lower, the sleeve is connected at its lower end to a depending pipe 27. When the lower end of this pipe strikes the bottom of the well, the sleeve is halted but the stern may continue to move downwardly.

If the toolis to be used for inserting a packer head and casing in the well, the slips 17 are inserted in the groove 4 and the conical surface 11 of the stem is brought into contact with the inclined surface 21 of the slips. Then, as the assembly is lowered in the well, the weight of the packer head and the casing will be borne by the slips. At the same time, the weight of the pipe 27 and sleeve 22 will be borne by the collar 14.

7 When the lower end of the casing 3 reaches the bottom of the well, the stem, in continuing downward, will withdraw its conical surface 11 from beneath the inclined surfaces 21 of the slips. And at the same time, due to the inclined surfaces 6 and 19, the members 17 will slip out of the groove 4-. lhe tool will then continue to descend until the lower end of the pipe 27 strikes the bottom of the well, and at this time, the sleeve 22 will be halted. As the stem continues to lower, the surfaces 19 of the slips will coact with the surfaces 23 of the sleeve so that the slips will be contracted. The stem will continue to lower until its bolt 12 is thrown into the groove 26. Now, if the stem is lifted, the entire tool will move up the well without interference by the slips.

Assuming that a packer head and casing is already in a well and it is desired to remove the same, the tool may be lowered while the bolt 12 is out of the groove 26. As the tool is lowered, the slips will readily pivot due to the links 16, or move upwardly due to the collar 15, and consequently, the slips will not interfere with the lowering movement. When the tool is lowered into the packer head, the surfaces 19 of the slips will contact with the beveled surface 21 at the top of the packer head and this will guide the slips into the packer head. Immediately after this, the slips will move into the groove 4; and then when the operator lifts the stem, the conical surface 11 will force the slips into the groove l and the packer head and easing will rise with the tool. During this movement, or during the lowering of the packer head and casing, the projections 20 enter the groove 7 and function to prevent radial spreading of the upper part of the packer head.

If the device is to be used for fishing casing from a well, the slips 17 may be substituted by the slips 17, shown in Fig. 3. Each of these slips has a toothed face 1? adapted to interlock with the inner surface of the well casing to permit the latter to be withdrawn by the tool.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the invention may be readily understood, and

it is apparent that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

\Vhat is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is 1. A well tool comprising a stem, a ring loosely mounted on said stem, movable slips carried by said ring, means to engage the slips and hold the same in inoperative position, and a locking device for said means actuated by relative movement of the stem and means.

2. A well tool including a stem, a ring loosely mounted on said stem, radially movable slips carried by said ring, means for latching the slips against movement in one direction, and a locking device for said means actuated by relative movement of the stem and said means.

3. A well tool including a stem provided with a conical surface, a ring surrounding the stem above said surface, pivoted slips connected to the ring and having surfaces to engage said inclined surface, a sleeve mounted on said stem and adapted to receive the slips, and an automatic latching means for locking the sleeve in position to permit the latter to hold the slips in inoperative position.

4. A well tool including a stem having a frusto-conical surface intermediate its ends, a ring surrounding the stem above said surface, radially movable slips pivotally connected to said ring and adapted to contact with said surface, a sleeve surrounding the lower portion of the stem, a member projecting downwardly from the sleeve and adapted to halt the movement of the sleeve when .the tool reaches the lower portion'of a well, and automatic latching means for locking the sleeve in'one position relatively to said stem.

5. A well tool including a stem and a slip locking member, said slip locking member being provided with an annular flange having a beveled surface and a groove, and a spring pressed bolt mounted on the stem and adapted to coact with said surface and the groove for automatically locking the slip locking member in one position when the stem is lowered relatively to theslip locking member.

6. A well tool including a stem having a frusto-conical surface intermediate its ends, a collar fixed on the lower end of the stem, a sleeve surrounding the stem and adapted to rest on said collar, a pipe fixed to and projecting downwardly from the sleeve, a ring loosely mounted on the stem above said surface, radially movable slips pivotally connected to the ring and adapted to coact with said surface for forcing the slips outwardly when the stem is raised relatively to the ring, said sleeve being adapted to receive the slips and hold them in inoperative position when the last mentioned means includes a spring the stem is lowered relatively to the sleeve, pressed bolt and a groove to receive the bolt. and means for automatically latching the 9. A well tool comprising a stem, radial sleeve to the stem when the stem is moved and longitudinal movable slips carried by 1 5 downwardly a predetermined distance relathe stem, a sleeve slidably mounted on the tively to the sleeve. stem and adapted to engage the slips and 7. A tool as claimed in claim 6 in which hold the same in inoperative position and a the last mentioned means includes a groove locking device for said sleeve actuated by the in the sleeve and a spring pressed bolt on the relative movement of the stem and sleeve. 1 stem.

8. A tool as claimed in claim 6 in which WILLIAM W. FRY. 

